How differentiated can your messaging be in less than 15 seconds when attention is so low?

I think marketers get too hung up about being perfectly unique snowflakes when it comes to messaging. If you think about a category with multiple competitors, there will always be several competing for the same slice of the market, and when it really comes down to it, the products probably aren't all that different.

Differentiation is simply about knowing

• who you're for

• what those people care about most

• being in the right place at the right time.

We just went through an exercise to craft a single UVP message at SurveyMonkey, and this was the rough template we used:

• [Product] combines [value prop 1] with [value prop 2] to help [target customers] achieve [ultimate outcome].

And if those value props & ultimate outcomes REALLY resonate with your target customer, they will take notice. The next step is making sure that your messaging across ALL touch points reinforces the top things you want to be known for-- that's ads, webpages, emails, sales outreach & materials, etc. So no matter where your prospect encounters your messaging, they are seeing something consistent that will reinforce those differentiators.

You’re right that attention spans are low, which makes communicating a breakthrough message and grabbing your audience’s attention challenge. This means your message must be very sharp and differentiated - but this takes discipline and focus!

• Focus on identifying, and then aligning internally, on your table stakes vs differentiators. Hone in on just 1-2 over a laundry list.

• Validate your differentiators - with customers, analysts, etc - to ensure they resonate with your intended audience.

• Then find ways to creatively package that differentiation in your messaging through storytelling devices - whether it’s data, metaphors, or punchy language. I personally love using both metaphor and data storytelling to break through in messaging, whether it’s a headline for a blog, email subject line, or a social post.

Metaphors are proven to be bite-sized stories that can connect with your audience. Challenge yourself to identify the from → to (life without vs. with your product) and then wrap it in a metaphor. What does it feel like to get work done faster? What does the peace of mind of a security solution feel like when you’re offline at the end of the day?

One of my favorite storytelling workshops teaches you how to identify these from → to statements and then ‘put it in a world.’ Which means taking a before/after description and then choosing whether you want to use a metaphor from space, sports, nature, or a different theme to illustrate it and evoke a more emotional connection.

And of course, data in your messaging can also break through noise to help catch your audience’s attention. Borrow or develop a compelling stat to help quantify the problem or the solution you’re proposing. These stats can also be broken down into more accessible stories - for example, if your product automates 1,000 5-minute processes an hour across all of your customers - what is that comparable to in time savings? Watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy 9 times? (5,000 minutes / 558 minutes to watch all 3 movies).

Remember that storytelling is meant to create connection and establish resonance with your audience - have fun with it, even as you try to be concise! Brevity does not mean bland.

If you have 15 seconds, then I have to assume you're referring to creating differentiated messaging for a video ad. In this case, I would consider the medium and the channels you're using to promote.

• If the medium is video and channels are third-party, then this is most likely an awareness play. You don't necessarily need to differentiate, you need people to know that you exist and what you do.

• If the medium is video and the channel is owned (e.g. your website or social channels), then you can assume they know who you are and you can instead focus on driving consideration. You might offer an example about why you're special or build credibility by highlighting the number of customers you serve (think McDonald's xx millions of burgers sold daily), or results you've driven for your customers.

Video aside, the attention span of potential buyers is undeniably short. I'll highlight Gong for their use Linkedin (and other social) to build brand and emphasize a key point of differentiation: data. Gong regularly published insights gleaned from their platform about the most successful sales habits. This approach not only delivered meaningful guidance and insight to customers and prospects, but helped Gong build a reputation for the breadth and quality of data captured and delivered through its platform.

This is truly the art and the craft of marketing. To do this well you need to have a crystal clear idea of what sets your product apart, what matters most to your audience, and how those things intersect. Then you need to use your creativity to distill this down to its essence.

If you have a strong stat that fits the bill, that can work wonders when you need to be pithy. For example, Shopify partnered with one of the big three global management consulting companies on an independent study of checkout conversion rates. After months of sifting through Shopify’s and competitors' data, they found that Shopify's overall conversion rate outpaces the competition by up to 36% and by an average of 15%. Having a powerful stat like that allowed Shopify to say short and attention grabbing things like “Find out why Shopify’s checkout converts up to 36% better.” or even “Do you want to make 15% less money?”

Visuals. We’re visual creatures, and we live in a world of visual media competing for our attention. I’ve worked mostly in B2B software, so large budget brand campaigns and repeated messaging across every single channel is not something that I’ve typically had access to in my career. However, creating visually appealing experiences (whether digital or physical) that draw your audience in – think your website or booth at a tradeshow – is the best way to stand out. Then when you draw them in, having clear messaging (think 5 or 6 words that places you in a reference box for them) that gets them to pause for an extra 10 seconds or 15 seconds. For example, at Instacart, we set up a large booth at a tradeshow with all our new in-store technology that we had developed. However, for this audience (mostly grocers) we were not known for in-store technology, we were more known as a fulfillment partner. So building a “grocery store” concept at our booth, with the messaging “Connected Stores” helped to 1) get them to stop and say hey look at that grocery store, and 2) create a new spot for us in the store technology box in their head. From there, they were able to come and touch all the hardware, get guided demos, talk with product experts, and hopefully walk away with a bit of a new lens of what we could provide.

When you have 15 seconds to grab attention, you can only focus on one value prop. Put all your effort into the headline/image. Make sure you pick one that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story but makes your value prop clearly differentiated and makes your audience want to read the next sentence on your website/message/story. That’s the core purpose of your headline content. In most cases, you want to appeal to the personal/emotional outcome of the buyer or the user - depending on the message and the channel. The biggest mistake I see made in this area is to try to fit in every differentiator or core value prop “the company” wants to say vs. what your audience needs to hear.

In less than 15 seconds, your messaging needs to be laser-focused on the value you deliver. To differentiate in that short window, focus on one powerful, customer-centric benefit that clearly addresses their pain point. Keep it simple, impactful, and specific. For example, “We help you close deals 30% faster” or “Cut operational costs by 20% in just one month.”

Leverage strong verbs, avoid jargon, and lead with the outcome. The goal is to immediately answer “what’s in it for me” for your audience in a way that sticks.

I'm not sure if you're referring to internal attention or external attention, so I'll answer both.

Internal attention

The quickest way to have messaging ignored by key stakeholders is to make the messaging doc too long and verbose. Focus on short and sweet statements that capture value and differentiation in a pithy, punchy way. Your messaging will be better for it, and your cross-functional partners will be grateful for it.

External attention

At this point my gravestone will probably say 'messaging is not copy!' The role of copy is to convey your meaning in a way that captures attention. There are lots of great books on powerful copywriting techniques, but a perfect place to start is by subscribing to Eddie Shleyner's VeryGoodCopy newsletter: https://eddie-shleyner.squarespace.com/. It's a fantastic resource.